Unarmed
by Catalyna Christopher
Summary: On that one trip to the video game store that I'd been to so many times, everything changed... For everyone, for me. Takes place before Advent Children, but after original game. Rated T to be safe;eventual CloudxOC, may be KadajxOC as well...
1. Chapter 1:Another Day

Authoress's Note:Yayz! Finally I remembered to post this!!! Though this first chapter doesn't feature anything special, it does form the basis for this story.  
Hope you enjoy!!! Don't forget to leave a review!!! :)

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...T.T)

* * *

I looked up from the book I was reading. _Annoying stupid people. Would they ever shut up? Honestly._ And the teacher, Mr. Marks, wasn't making it any better. _You'd think a man who was 42 years old (who'd gone to college for who knows how long) would be better able to control a classroom full of 17 year old kids. But no. He couldn't even find a damn date...He was probably still a virgin. Hehe. 40 year-old virgin. And he probably never would deflower himself as long as he panted after Ms. Letterman down the hall who would never notice him._ And there was two reasons why she wouldn't. One--Ms. Letterman was a lesbian; and two--Mr. Marks had an awful blond toupee that tended to slip off his head whenever he made sudden movements.

Anyway, back to the classroom full of kids. Annoying as they were, you had to sympathize with some of them. There were the jocks. A collection of overly buff guys and cheerleaders in short skirts that probably didn't have enough brains combined to beat a t-Rex in a game of chess. Then there were the wanna be gangsters and prostitutes whose families had probably pushed them down that path of drugs and violence. _That didn't excuse the fact that they were probably all gone be in jail by Christmas._ Then there were the mathletes. And honestly if you didn't feel sorry for the mathletes then you had no empathy in you. (i.e. jocks). And then there was me, Christina. The girl that didn't really fit in any where. The girl whose best friends and dream guy were all located inside video games.

"HELLLLOOOOO!!!!!!" screamed a familiar voice. Well, scratch that. I had a real life best friend. Lindsey, a girl as crazy as me about video games and the characters who reside in them!

Mr. Marks's head jerked up so fast that his toupee flew across the room and into a cheerleader's lap. The poor girl screamed and did kind of a backflip off her chair, her skirt flying up in the process. All of the rest of the jocks started to laugh and the girl ran out of the room crying. Flustered, Mr. Marks walked over to where his poor disheveled toupee was resting on the floor and picked up before settling it unevenly back onto his head. "Ms. McElhatten? What on earth are you doing here?"

Lindsey, who had been desperately trying to hold back her laughter, finally composed herself enough to say. "To get Christina. We have official business with Ms. Letterman that can't wait." She waited knowing she had played her cards just right. I rolled her eyes; if there were two things Mr. Marks couldn't resist, it was Ms. Letterman and official business.

"Oh well.. I suppose....if it is official business," said Mr. Marks.

Lindsey smiled a wide toothy grin with dimples displayed at full force; it was a smile that never failed to charm adults. I called it her shark smile.

After grabbing my stuff, I walked out of the door with Lindsey.

"So what's this important business with Ms. Letterman?"

Lindsey shrugged. "There never was any. I felt like skippin' and I figured you needed saving."

I stopped and put my hands on my hips. "Dammit Lindsey! I told you not to skip anymore!"

"Oh, but this time you're with me my friend! Come on. Let's go to the mall; there's this new game I wanna check out at Gamestop," said Lindsey, putting her puppydog eyes on full force.

Unfortunately for her, I was immune. "No. I'm going back to class."

"PLEASE!!!!! I'll owe you big time I promise. Please please please!"

"No."

"There supposed to be posters out for the remake of FF VII," she said cunningly.

I groaned. Lindsey had hit my weak spot and was wearing me down.

Lindsey, seeing me waver, took full advantage and pressed on. "And they said that there was going to be a special guest star there. Who knows, it might just be a certain guy who voices a certain video game character that you just happen to adore."

I groaned again and relented. "Fine let's go."

"I don't know," said Lindsey studying her nails nonchalantly. "I mean you said you'd rather just go back to class so I guess that's what we'll do." She turned to go in the opposite direction back to her class.

I grabbed her by the scruff of her collar. "Get your damn car keys we're going."

Lindsey gave a wide smile and jumped fist in the air. "Yes!Now that's the Christina I know!"

Again, I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Let's go."

I smiled as I watched Lindsey skip off in the direction of the parking lot.

* * *

Plz review!!! (I would say read and review, but if you're already down here, then you've already read it, haven't you?)


	2. Chapter 2:Gamestop

Wow! This is the first time I've cranked out a new chapter at this speed! I'm so proud of myself!! ^^  
Hope you read and enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...T.T)

* * *

Gamestop was pretty crowded when we got there. It seemed like geeks from all around the state were there. Lindsey bounced off to look at the game she had came there for. She'd never really been a big FF VII fan so she honestly didn't see what the big commotion was about. I, on the other hand, was totally stoked. I'd been waiting_ forever_ it seemed like to finally play the remade version of the game. I looked around. There were no posters indicating who the special guest was, but I did see a line at the back of the store leading to a section that was closed off by red velvet curtains. I guessed that was where the guest was. I quickly looked over at Lindsey. Seeing that she was safely occupied looking at the game and flirting with some weird guy in a wig, I made my way over to the back of the store.

There were tons of fans waiting and an armed guard at the front to boot, so whoever it was must have been pretty damn popular. That shocked me. _No one ever comes to our tiny town_.

After waiting for what seemed like forever (they were only letting a few people in at a time), it was finally my turn. Stepping past the armed guard, my eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light of the little alcove. Going around a few milling people, I spotted what everyone had come to see...and it shocked the living hell out of me. In a glass cage was a replica of my favorite video game character ever, Cloud Strife. I stepped closer to it. It looked asleep. I couldn't help but marvel at the talent of the man who'd made this statue. Everything about it was perfect and accurate, from the spikes in his hair down to the giant sword in the ground next to him. _Lindsey had gotten the wrong information, but seeing this was definitely better than meeting the guy who voiced him._

It was beautiful; he was beautiful. I got even closer to the container, still marveling at his features. Gently, ever so gently, I rested my hand on the glass. At that instant, the replica's eyes popped open. Except his eyes...they weren't fake...they weren't a doll's eyes... _they were real, _they were deep, soulful eyes; eyes it seemed that had seen extreme sadness...and they were looking piercingly at me. I gasped and stepped back, not knowing what else to do. The eyes followed my movements and in that moment I knew. I knew that whatever it was in that bubble of glass wasn't fake: it was real. That was really somebody in there...and I gulped because somehow I knew it was the _real_ Cloud.

_But what was one of the most bad ass video game characters of all time doing out in the real world in a glass bubble at a Gamestop?!_ The eyes continued to stare at me and his mouth moved forming the words "help me". My eyes widened and I quickly nodded. I didn't know how, but I **would** get him out of there, somehow, someway. I placed my hand back on the glass reassuringly, and Cloud's eyes closed again.

I backed away from the bubble knowing that no one else seemed to have seen what I saw. That was good. The less people who knew about it, the better. As I turned to head for the entrance, a heavy hand fell upon my shoulder. I gasped and glanced up. There were three men behind me. The two behind the first were big, buff, and bald. One had an eye patch and the other had a long jagged scar running down his face and onto his neck disappearing into his suit collar. The man with his hand on my shoulder was quite handsome I suppose. He had nice strong features and long black hair, but his eyes were black and almost soulless it seemed. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Hello miss, and how are you this fine day?" the man with the black hair asked in a deep, deceptively soothing voice.

I glanced down at my shoulder where the man's hand was. "It would be better if you would get your hand off my shoulder."

The man's eyebrows raised and the guy with eye patch growled. The man raised his hand off of my shoulder and held it up to signal to his companion that all was well. He smiled looking ever more like a snake. I couldn't help but feel a little like the poor bird that gets caught in its hypnotizing gaze. "I'm sorry. I should introduce myself. I am Luke, and these are my friends, Edge and Nicco," he said,

"They look more like bodyguards to me," I said, watching as the one with the scar, Nicco or Edge--I didn't know which--cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Cannot one's body guards also be one's friends?" he asked with, what would have been to some, a charming smile. To me, it looked like he was contemplating someone's death.

"I...suppose," I said reluctantly.

Luke smiled. "And your name is?"

I bit my lip trying to decide whether or not to trust this man with that information. I was on the point of lying when I decided this guy would somehow know if I wasn't telling the truth. So shrugging I said, "Christina."

Luke's smile got wider. "Well, it is very nice to meet you."

"Umm...nice to meet you too, I guess."

Luke turned to Cloud. "A very nice replica don't you think?"

I was silent. _Replica my ass._ When I felt the man's gaze on me, I quickly said, "Yeah. It's very....realistic."

Luke gave a little laugh. "Yes."

I looked away. This guy was making me sick. "You know my friend is waiting for me, so I sort of have to get going."

"Ahh, a pity. But I suppose it cannot be helped. Until next we meet," he said bowing to me.

"Yeah, bye." I said, before basically running away from him and pushing several people in my haste to escape from him.

As soon as I was out of the tiny room, I found Lindsey exactly where I'd left her, still talking to the guy in the wig. I ran over to them.

"Lindsey we have to leave now!" I said urgently.

Lindsey looked at me. "Aww but I'm having so much fun!"

"**Now**!"

"Okay, okay, GEEZ! Bye. I guess I'll talk to you later," Lindsey said to the guy.

I looked at him. He was vaguely familiar, but my mind was too frazzled to care. Grabbing Lindsey's hand, I pulled her out of the store.

"Where are we going?," Lindsey asked.

"To a safe place where we can talk!"

* * *

Woot! Another chapter done! Please leave a review (and receive a box of pocky!^^)


	3. Chapter 3:Breaking and Entering

Since I already had these chapters saved on my computer, I figured I'd post these chapters (yes, I said _chapters!_) today, to keep the fans happy! I'll probably post at least one more chapter today.  
Oh, and a special thank-you to Piper-Knight, who was the first to review this story (I forgot to thank them in the last chapter;I'm so sorry!) You get a special box of pocky!!!  
Hope you read and enjoy!!

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...er, former...I mean...aw, crap! Screw it...T.T)

* * *

The 'safe place to talk' I has spoken of turned out to be a stall in the men's bathroom. _Guess I should've thought this through a little better..._

"Why the hell are we in here?!" Lindsey asked when the stall door had been safely locked.

"I told you I have to talk to you."

"But in the men's bathroom?!"

"It was the only place I could think of on short notice!"

Lindsey looked down at the floor. "Eww!" she screeched.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There's a used condom on the floor!" yelled Lindsey.

"Ahhh!" I jumped on the toilet without realizing the lid was open...and my foot went straight down. I looked down. There was no condom on the floor. _Goddamnit._

Lindsey started to laugh. I scowled.

"Well," said Lindsey, "you're the one who wanted to come into the men's bathroom."

"Ugh, forget it! I have something serious to tell you!," I yelled, jumping off of the toilet and back on the floor. (Thankfully, my foot had _not _touched the water.)

"Okay then, spill."

"You know the special guest they had at game stop today?"

"Oh yeah the voice actor guy...was he cool?"

"It wasn't a voice actor; it was Cloud."

"Oh that's cool."

**Screech. **I could almost feel the brakes slamming in my head. WHAT_?!_

I did a double take. I hadn't expected Lindsey to be convinced _that _quickly. "You believe me?"

Lindsey gave her a strange look. "What do you mean? Of course I believe you! There are people who cosplay like him all the time. I thought you would know that considering how much a fan of him you are."

I shook her head. "No, it wasn't a cosplayer!"

"An actor then?"

_Ugh, _I thought, slapping my palm against my forehead in frustration._ This is gonna be hard!_

"No it was the real deal! It was Cloud! They had him in a gigantic glass bubble."

Lindsey's eyes widened and she took out her cell phone. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Calling someone to fix this problem," Lindsey said.

_*Phew* Thank god..._I relaxed; Lindsey really did believe me. After a few rings, someone on the other end picked up. "Hello, is this the state psyche ward? Yes; I'm calling to report that one of my friends has just..."

I took the phone away from her and threw it into the toilet.

"Hey! That phone cost me 150 bucks!"

"Oh never mind the phone! I'm not crazy!"

Lindsey looked suspicious. She held up her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three..."

"What year is it?"

"2010...."

"What grade are you in?"

"11th and I have all A's in my classes except for Mr. Leek's and that's because I forgot to turn in a paper."

Lindsey seemed more reassured. "Okay, so you're not crazy."

"No." _Geez..._

"Darn it. I was hoping you were." Lindsey looked disappointed for a second.

"Damn it Lindsey this is serious! Cloud is in a giganto bubble in a video game store surrounded by a bunch of geeks!" I ranted.

"Are you sure it wasn't some actor?"

"It was him Lindsey. I know it!"

"And you're serious?"

"I've never been this serious in my life!!!"

Lindsey studied me for a second. "Hmm...I can see you think you're telling the truth. But _how_ you got so fooled is beyond me."

"I wasn't tricked Lindsey. I know it was him!"

"Christina, you do realize Cloud is just a video game character and that he is NOT real!!"

I felt slightly disappointed at that—I always did--but I quickly shrugged it off;there were more important things at hand. _Like saving an awesome video game character's life..._

"I know he's a video game character, but I'm telling you; somehow, someway, he became real! And he's trapped! We have to help him."

Lindsey was quiet for a few seconds. _Probably contemplating my sanity._

"You do realize you sound absolutely insane right now."

"Yes." _Duh._

"And you do realize that in no way shape or form do I believe you."

I hung my head. _THAT much was obvious;I sound too crazy for it to be true, I suppose..._

"But I see you really want this...And I'm willing to help you."

My head popped up at that. "Really?"

Lindsey nodded. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

I hugged her tightly. I was truly grateful for once. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Lindsey. We hugged for a second more before Lindsey released me and said, "You do realize that if we are caught and arrested for breaking and entering and possibly grand theft and/or kidnapping, that I'm blaming all of this on you and your crazy excuse that a video game character came to life."

I smiled. _Of course._ "Knew that from the beginning."

"Okay...so what's the plan?"

I smiled again and launched into it. _My grand plan to save Cloud __Strife...heh, never thought I'd actually say that._

After we were done and we were leaving, Lindsey looked over her shoulder at me and said, "Oh by the way you're buying me a new cellphone!"

I facepalmed;_greeaaat._

_

* * *

_As promised, I will get the next chapter (possibly chapters) posted ASAP!!! Please leave a review!!!


	4. Chapter 4:Saving

Like I said in the previous chapter, I am updating! I'm on a hot streak with this story, it seems;I just can't stop writing!!!  
Please read and enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...er, former...I mean...darn it! Would somebody tell me the difference?!...T.T)

* * *

At the agreed time that night, Lindsey and me met up outside the mall. I, who had been standing there waiting, turned when I heard Lindsey walking up;when I saw what she was wearing, I nearly shouted at her. She had a total black outfit on (complete with a black beanie).

"What the hell are you dressed in? You look like Catwoman!" I asked, staring at the bulking backpack Lindsey had slung over her shoulder (after I got over the outfit, of course).

"Duh, in black! We are perpetrating a crime after all!"

I facepalmed.

"Dummy, you're gonna make us look suspicious. Now come on; we need to get a good hiding place before the mall closes and we've only got 10 minutes."

We went inside and once again ended up in a bathroom; only this time in a girl's bathroom. After about an hour, we figured that everyone should be out of the building by now. We walked out of the bathroom and snuck to Gamestop. Luckily, Lindsey still had a key to the place. She'd once worked there, but when they fired her and made her turn in her keys, she made sure she had copies of them. I had fussed at her for it at first, but now I was regretting that. _Guess it WAS a good thing that she kept them, after all._

Before she opened it Lindsey turned to me and said, "Are you sure he's even still here?"

_Crap. _I hadn't thought of that. "Even if he isn't; it's still worth a shot."

Lindsey shrugged. "If you say so."

She opened the gate. The store looked sort of creepy at night with no one there. Shaking off that feeling of dread that permeated the area, I marched forward to the back of the store.

I peeked around the curtains. There was no one there. Cloud slept peacefully in his cage. Just like earlier, I couldn't help but stare at him.

"Yeesh, I see why you thought he was the real deal," said Lindsey, stepping around me and into the room. "Okay," she said cheerfully, looking over her shoulder and back at me, "Let's do this." She took out a baseball bat from her bag.

Running up to the bubble, she started to whack at it trying to smash the glass.

"What the hell Lindsey?!"

Lindsey stopped and turned around innocently. "What?"

"There's a control panel right next to it!," I yelled, pointing to the panel.

"Oh...."

I walked up to the control panel and started to play with it. "Now whose the crazy one?" I muttered, sniggering as I did so.

"Hmph," Lindsey grunted.

After about thirty minutes, I still couldn't figure out the access code. _Damnit_, I thought, slamming my fists against the thing.

With a cry of frustration, Lindsey swung her bat and started hitting the thing. The computer stuttered and went dark.

"What the hell Lindsey; you broke it!!!"

"I did not!"

` "Then who did?"

"The ghostie!"

_Bull-Snapple, _I thought, waving my hand at her, frustrated.

"Yeah yeah, whatever! You hit the damn thing and now it won't open! Now we have to do this the hard way!"

"I wanted to do it the hard way in the first place! But NOOOOO, you just have to mess with the damn technology!"

"It was easier dammit!"

"So much easier that you wasted thirty minutes playing with the effing thing trying to get the code right! At least when I hit it, it did something!"

"Yeah you....!" I trailed off, shocked at what I saw.

"What? Finish! Dammit Christina, FINISH!"

"Oh my God...Lindsey look!"

"Oh haha very funny!"

"No seriously look!"

"Whatever...we both know that I'm going to turn around and there's not going to be anything...." she trailed off as she turned around and saw what I saw.  
The bubble was opening! And Cloud was stepping out. He stood tall and strong for a moment and then began to falter! _Damn! _I rushed forward to catch him. He fell into my arms. (Needless to say, I was a little freaked.)

"Oh my god," Lindsey whispered.

I looked over Cloud's head. "What?"

"Oh my god," she repeated. _I guess she believes me now..._

Suddenly a security alarm went off. "Come on Lindsey we don't have time for this. Grab his sword and let's go!"

Lindsey looked dazed for a moment more before shaking it off and nodding. She grabbed the sword, nearly falling when she did so.

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah," she said, nodding.

"Come on, let's jet."

We took off, Cloud half running, half being dragged behind me, Lindsey trying to keep up as best as possible.

_Damn...I didn't think about him being this heavy! Note to self—next time, think these things through._

We got out of the mall and sprinted across the parking lot toward Lindsey's car.

"Hold on," said Lindsey. I slowed, just a bit. _What is it now?!_

"What? We need to go now!"

"I don't know if I want that in my car!," she said, pointing at Cloud. _THAT'S what she __was worried about...?!_

"Lindsey you promised!"

"Christina, he's a video game character dammit! He shouldn't be here in the first place!" That made me think.

"So you believe it's the real Cloud now?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm totally creeped out by this!"

Cloud mumbled and sat up sleepily. "I know this is really strange—"_THAT was the understatement of the century, _I thought--"but I promise if you take me to a safe place I'll tell you everything."

Lindsey hesitated a second more before nodding. He nodded once before passing out again. Lindsey helped me put him in the car along with the sword and then we hopped in and took off, she driving, me in the backseat trying to make sure he was okay.

_I don't think I'll EVER think of Gamestop the same way again..._

_

* * *

_Hmmm...I feel like posting another one, so I think I will! Please leave a review!!!


	5. Chapter 5:Home at Last

Woot! As promised, I will leave one more chapter;I hope you all like it!  
Please read and enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...er, former...I mean...AARGH!!! I wished that I owned Cloud...T.T)

* * *

"OKAY so let me get this straight; you stayed at the mall past closing hours, then used an illegally copied key to break into Gamestop, where you didn't steal anything, you just kidnapped a video game character who has somehow been brought to life. Is that the gist of it?"

"Yep, that's about all of it," I said.

"Hmm. You should have at least stolen a video game or two." I sighed, _yeah, that's true, I suppose;Can't believe I didn't think of that...--hey, wait a minute...!!_

"Okay, would you stop saying it like you weren't there! Because you were!"

Lindsey pouted. "Yeah, trying to forget that part."

"Lindsey, we have an unconscious video game character carrying a huge-ass sword in your back seat, so I think you trying to forget that he's there is a little pointless! He's kind of obvious!"

Lindsey stuck her tongue out at me. There was a moan from the backseat. I quickly spun around (well, as much as I could, being in a seatbelt and all...I had switched to the front seat, once I made sure he was okay), checking to see if he was alright.

"Do we need to take him to the hospital?" Lindsey asked. I gave her a look that said, 'are you crazy?'.

"Are you kidding? He's not a real person!"

"You mean he's like an illegal alien?"

My eyes got wide. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You're making a _joke_ at a time like this?"

"Yeah.....So?....Gotta lighten the atmosphere somehow."

Again there was a moan from the backseat. _He needs a place to rest..._I thought, trying to think of the best course of action. "...Head to your house Lindsey!"

"My house? Why?"

"Your parents aren't home right now and neither is your sister!"

"Yeah but...but I've already put my butt on the line for you tonight and now you're bringing him to my house!"

"I know Lindsey, I know! But please! It will mean so much, and it's just until, you know, he wakes up and then I'll figure something out after that." I gave her my best determined look;I just _had_ to help him, somehow...

Lindsey thought for a moment. "Whatever. He can come over." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. Thank you Lindsey, so much." She nodded, then turned back to the road.

"You owe me, big time."

"Of course."

After that, we drove in silence for a while.

Finally, we got to Lindsey's house. "Help me with him!" I grunted out as I tried to heave Cloud out of the car. _Geez, why in the world is he so heavy?!_

"Eh. Why does it feel like I'm making all the sacrifices?" Lindsey mumbled. I rolled my eyes.

After a good few tries, we finally managed to get him into the house. I immediately started towards Lindsey's room, half-carrying, half-dragging Cloud.

"Where are you going?!" Lindsey yelled.

I gave her a surprised look. "To your room..." I said slowly like talking to a retarded person.

"What?! _What?_! My bed?! Christina!"

"Yes. Your bed."

As I turned and pulled Cloud up the stairs, Lindsey muttered, "First I break and enter for her, then I help her kidnap a guy with a sword (who could possibly be a homicidal maniac), then I bring him to my house, where he _takes my damn bed_!"

As I laid Cloud down in the bed, his eyes opened wide. I gasped.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"At a safe place."

He looked confused for a moment more and then his head nodded. "Where's my sword?"

"Here; my friend has it. She won't do anything to it (or with it for that matter)." That last part I said more to myself than anything, but I think he got the message.

He nodded again. "Who are you?"

"My name's Christina. Why were you in there that bubble? And how on earth did you get here?" I said quickly.

"Ugh," he started, holding his head. "There was a guy...Lucian...I was...tracking him. And he caught me. Then there was this white light...and I can't remember anything after that." I crossed my arms and looked down, deep in thought after all that he'd told me.

"Well, that's strange. But it doesn't explain how you defied all rules of physics and how you're standing in front of me...."

He blinked. "Defied rules of...what?"

My eyes widened. I could have smacked myself._ Of course he didn't know he was just a character in a video game. To him, he was a real person and his world was just as real as the world we're in this second. But the question isn't if he believed that simple truth or not. The question was if he would believe me if I told him that his whole world was a lie, and that there were people out there who controlled his every actions._ I was pretty sure that would shock him, and that the last part would probably piss him off. But it had to be done.

I uncrossed my arms, making eye contact with him. "Cloud. You're not from here."

"That much is obvious." I sighed inwardly, _Geez, this is awkward..._

"No what I mean you're not from 'here' here as in you are not in your world. This is my world, and in my world...you're a video game character."

"...A video game character?"

"Yes...a bad-ass fictional character, but completely fictional nonetheless," I said, my face drooping sadly as I said the last part of the sentence. _I guess I had to realize it sometime...but it's so much harder when...when he's right in front of me for goodness sakes!_

"I'm not...real?" I sighed again, and answered.

"....No."

Cloud was silent; his head down. I went on quickly, taking his silence as permission to. "Well, you're not real in the sense that you were created by someone else, but you're real in the sense that you're here with me now, and I can touch you and you can touch me...." I trailed off as I realized that I was babbling. I almost facepalmed, I was acting like an idiot because of someone who would probably never care about me the way I did about him...

Cloud's head was still down. I, as well, was at a lost for what to say.

But at that moment there was a loud scream from another part of the house. Cloud's head jerked up and I turned toward the door in a moment. "What was that?," he asked, getting up.

"I think it was Lindsey. There must be something wrong; I have to go see." I moved toward the door.

"Wait, I'll go first," Cloud said, going around me and heading down the hall.

I followed him silently, preparing to come to the rescue of her friend.

_Geez, what have you gotten me into now?_

_

* * *

_Yayz! So tell me, lovely readers/reviewers, what do you think is going on downstairs?  
Please leave a review!!!


	6. Chapter 6:The Wooden Spoon! lol

Sorry that I haven't updated in the last few days...I caught a nasty head cold (that's, what, like, 3 colds this year? GEEZ!!!), but I'm feeling much better!  
Thank you all who have read/favorite/reviewed;it means a lot!  
Special box of pocky to my friend Red-chan (you rock!!!).  
Alright, I won't keep you in suspense any longer, so here we go!

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...er, former...I mean...~sigh~ I'm so special...)

* * *

Cloud and I quickly ran to the kitchen. Lindsey (poor Lindsey, but, I have to admit, it was a sight) was standing in the kitchen holding a wooden spoon and a brass pot like they were weapons. An unconscious figure dressed all in black was lying sprawled out at her feet. Cloud picked up his sword from where it was lying next to the table.

"What the HELL, Christina!!! DON'T YOU THINK I'VE GONE THROUGH ENOUGH FOR YOU TODAY?!" Lindsey screamed, throwing down the spoon and the pot. She marched right up to Cloud. Poking him in the chest she yelled, "And you! You owe me big time mister! I have broken the law and if I'm caught I will end up jail and I would not do well as anybody's bitch! AND I GAVE UP MY DAMN BED FOR YOU!!!!!"

Cloud looked down his nose at her. "What is this thing and can I kill it?," he asked, pointing at her and looking at me. I almost giggled, but managed to stifle it. _Wow...I've never heard him be so...silly. Except for that time with Barret and 'the marshmallow bear' sailor outfit..._

Lindsey reached for the spoon once again. Snapping from my thoughts, I quickly stepped in between them.

"That's enough. Cloud, this is Lindsey, the friend I was telling you about." I gestured to her. I was pretty sure she was glaring, though who she was glaring at I couldn't tell. "You're staying at her house. So no you can't kill her." I turned to my friend, taking the spoon from her. "Lindsey, what the hell happened in here? And put the damn spoon down!"

"I was just making myself something to eat when this guy comes in through the window!...so I hit him over the head. Fell down like a ton of bricks. Gosh, if you two walked any slower he could've came in, slit my throat, stole my food, and left before you two were even halfway here!"

Cloud snorted. I giggled at my friend's enthusiam..._but partly at Cloud's response, too._ There was a moan from the man on the floor. I jumped, Lindsey looked down in alarm, and Cloud reached for his sword, pushing me behind him. ..._Did he just...push me out of the way...? Was he trying to protect me...? _I wondered. But I didn't wonder for long;the man started to rise again. Lindsey hit him over the head with the spoon again.

"WOULD YOU STOP HITTING ME WITH THAT DAMN SPOON?!!" the guy yelled looking up.

Lindsey abruptly stopped her second motion to hit him again and her eyes grew wide. "It's you..." she whispered.

"Who?" I asked, stepping around Lindsey—and Cloud, though I still couldn't believe he did that--to get a better look at the intruder. "Who is he?" I asked, still not recognizing him.

"The guy from Gamestop," Lindsey said, helping him to his feet. "You know, the one I was talking to. Or, at least, I'm pretty sure it was him. The guy I was talking to had brown hair; he has silver."

"It was a wig," said the guy, nonchalantly brushing off his outfit.

There was a flash of silver in front of my face, and the next thing I knew, Cloud's sword was at the guy's neck. I backed up a little;Cloud stepped in front of me and Lindsey, _more in my direction then hers, _I quickly noted, looking back at the guy. The mysterious stranger smiled. "Are you going to kill me, Cloud?"

I glanced at him;Cloud stayed silent.

"Go ahead, there's no one stopping you. Actually, my death would save me the trouble of doing a few things, so by all means, slice away."

Again, Cloud was silent.

With a cry of frustration, Lindsey leaped in front of the silver haired man. I reached to pull her away from him, but a strong hand stopped me-Cloud's. Lindsey pointed at me and said, "Stop. Remember, I said you owed me! I'm risking being thrown in jail, _and_ I'm giving up my bed for him; you could at least repay me for that by sparing this man's life...." she looked over her shoulder and continued, "...at least until he has his say and then if you still want to you can kill him."

Cloud stared for a moment more, then stepped away. I breathed a sigh of relief;I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Sheathing his sword, he said, "What is it that you want, Kadaj?"

"Kadaj...?," I said quietly, causing Cloud to glance at me. I had never heard that name before, and I was one of the biggest Final Fantasy VII fans around!

The man, Kadaj, smiled. "Simple. I came to see you, big brother."

I looked from one man to the other, completely shocked, and said the thing both me, and I'm pretty sure Lindsey as well, were thinking. "Are you two related?"

"No. We're not," Cloud quickly replied. I could tell it was a sore subject, but I made a mental note to ask him later. "Now spit out what you really want Kadaj, before I get impatient."

Kadaj smiled and leaned back against the table. "You've met the man Lucian I suppose." _Lucian...?_ I wondered. _The guy that Cloud was chasing...?_

Cloud looked confused for a moment and then his face cleared back to its original unreadable expression. "Yeah."

Kadaj smiled enigmatically. "And yet, you got away. Amazing."

Cloud shrugged. "I had help," he said, glancing at Lindsey, then at me. _Did his eyes...linger on me...? Nah, I'm just being silly... _Cloud turned back to Kadaj.

"Yes, well, you'll need a little more help next time than two inexperienced girls who used pots and spoons as weapons. No offense," he looked at me and Lindsey with a smile. "Hey...!", my friend retorted;he just laughed.

Cloud snorted. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes and no." His smile evaporated from his face just as quickly as it had came. "He's coming for you, Cloud. He won't take kindly to your escape. And you're going to need more than just that sword to protect you this time, no matter how mighty it is."

"So that's what you've come for."

"Yes. I've come to save you."

Needless to say, I was shocked.

_Save him....how?_

_

* * *

_Woot! Another chapter done.  
I will post another chapter today as well (simply because I was shocked at how many favorites alerts I got in my inbox in the last few days!) You guys rock!  
Please review!!!_  
_


	7. Chapter 7:Waffle House

Yayz! As promised, I am posting another chapter. Hope you all read and enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...er, former...I mean...ugh, I give up...)

* * *

After that ever so shocking announcement for a moment there was absolute silence. _What. The. Hell._ Lindsey dropped her wooden spoon.

"What do you mean?" Cloud stepped forward.

"Just what it sounds like. You're in for it Cloud. That guy Lucian wants you. I'm not sure why yet, but he does. And you can't take care of it by yourself this time," Kadaj said studying his fingernails.

Cloud growled and moved to take out his sword, pulling it out in a fluid motion. Kadaj did the same taking a defensive stance as he did. Knowing that it wouldn't end well, I reached out and put a hand on Cloud's arm. "Enough. You're tired; you should conserve your strength. If you really want to fight him that badly, then save it for later."

"And don't do it at my house. Blood stains are killer to get out of carpet, and my mom would kill me if any of her knickknacks were broken," said Lindsey with a stern look on her face.

Kadaj laughed. "If you insist." He sheathed his sword. Reluctantly, Cloud did the same.

"Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?" Lindsey asked Kadaj.

He smiled mysteriously. "Is that an invite?"

Her concern instantly turned into annoyance, I could see it. "Well it was, but now I don't know if I want such an arrogant pig in my house."

Kadaj laughed. "Well, at least you're honest."

Cloud rolled his eyes and turned to leave the kitchen. After one last look at Lindsey and Kadaj, I followed him.

"I just don't understand," Cloud muttered to himself once they were in Lindsey's bedroom.

"Hmm?" I asked.

He looked at me and quickly shook his head. "Nothing....Umm....Thank you."

_Did he...just thank me...?_

"Thank you...for what?"

"For helping me out...I was...kind of...stuck, you know....So anyways...thanks," Cloud said, shrugging and looking away.

I smiled and blushed as I looked away as well, secretly pleased. "It was no problem."

Cloud shrugged again. "Umm...."

"Oh, right; you need your sleep...so umm...goodnight, and I guess I'll see you in the morning," I said, backing out of the room.

As I turned to leave, I could have sworn I heard him whisper, "Goodnight, Christina."

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon. Stumbling into the kitchen (I couldn't help it!;the smell was intoxicating...) I saw Cloud standing at the stove. "You cook?" I asked, shocked.

"Yep."

"Really? That's strange. I mean for a..." I trailed off. _Oops..._

"A video game character?" Cloud supplied with a smile.

"Y-yeah....so...does that mean you believe me?" I asked, sitting down at the table. _Cloud...just smiled at me;HOLY CRAP! Okay, calm down, just breathe!, _I thought. The last thing I needed right now was a fangirl attack!

"Hmmm....I'm not sure. I mean...it's a whole lot to take in," he said, putting a plate down in front of each of us before putting the bacon and eggs on them.

I nodded, keeping quiet. _Cloud has to learn to accept this on his own time. I couldn't possibly convince him._

It was silent for a few moments before I looked around, realizing Lindsey wasn't there. "That's weird," I said, tilting my head to the side.

"What?"

"Lindsey's not here. It's weird because this is sorta her house."

Cloud shrugged, taking a bite of egg. "She'll come back eventually." I nodded, picking up my fork and taking a bite. My eyes went wide. It took everything I had from jumping from my seat;those eggs were _GOOD! __Who knew that Cloud could cook so well...?,_ I thought, grinning at him as I did so. Apparently he noticed, because he grinned back at me. _Who would've thought that I would one day eat breakfast with one of my--no, scratch that--my favorite video game character ever?  
_

At that moment, we heard the front door open and close, followed by two voices. I turned toward the noise. The closer they got, the more distinctive they became until Lindsey and Kadaj's voices were clearly distinguishable. It was also clear that they were arguing. Well, _Lindsey_ was arguing. Kadaj sounded more amused than anything.

"I told you bringing a sword into a Waffle House was not a good idea!" Lindsey yelled at him as they walked in the room. My eyes widened, then I had to stifle a laugh;Cloud chuckled as well.

Kadaj shrugged. "No one would have noticed if not for you acting so suspiciously."

"Me? I wasn't the one with a huge ass stick across my back!!! Don't you think that looks a little suspicious?"

"No. Not really."

Lindsey stared at him for a moment, an unbelieving look on her face. "You're impossible!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration as she walked out.

"What was that about?" I asked, perplexed.

"You two weren't up, so we went to have breakfast on our own, and she freaked out about me carrying a sword into a place full of children," Kadaj said, shrugging once again.

"Stupid," said Cloud shortly.

Kadaj nodded.

I looked from one to the other a couple of times before shaking my head and following Lindsey out of the room. _Geez...why is it all the people around me are completely nuts...? _I thought, putting a hand to my head as I walked out.

As I left I heard Kadaj tell Cloud, "I think it was something you said."  


* * *

I have to say, I love this chapter! It's too funny!!!  
On another note, I'm sorry if the main character seems a little too...full of herself (for lack of a better term). But I guess that's one of her flaws;sometimes, the only thing she can think of is herself. Hopefully she'll learn something from our favorite spiky-haired hero!  
Anyway, I will try to update as soon as I can.  
Please review!!!


	8. Chapter 8:Evil Unicorns

Finally! It let me update!!! I know it's been a while, so I'll just get right to it.

**Disclaimer:**_I own nothing in this story, except for the original characters and the storyline (of course).  
_Oh, and I don't own Cloud or Kadaj (though I wish I owned the latter...er, former...I mean...ugh. -facepalms-)

* * *

"I think we should just throw them both out."Lindsey stared at them thoughtfully.

"Well maybe."

"Maybe nothing. I can do whatever I please. Besides, we need to think of somewhere to put them. They can't stay here forever."

"Hmmm. I guess you're right. But we just can't out right destroy them!" _Yeah right_, I thought to myself. _I would never be able to bring myself to do that..._

"Yeah, yeah," said Lindsey sulkily.

At that moment Kadaj strolled in eating a bar of chocolate ice cream. "What are you two plotting?"

"The demise of the two unicorn knickknacks in Lindsey's living room. They were starting to creep us out," I said matter of factly. It was true, we hated those damn unicorns;they were just creepy.

Kadaj quickly stepped over to them. "Are these the unicorns in question?" I nodded. There was a flash and then the unicorns were no more. Lindsey burst out laughing. Kadaj looked absurdly pleased with himself.

"Kadaj!" I reprimanded.

"What?" he said, calmly sheathing his sword.

"You just broke the unicorns !!!," I scolded, pointing at the horribly broken knickknacks. "Lindsey, why are you laughing?! He just destroyed your mom's property!"

Lindsey shrugged and continued laughing. "S-so what? I wish I had had balls enough to do that! Hahaha. I...I only wish...mom could've been here...to see it happen!" Kadaj smiled widely. I rolled my eyes and groaned. _Boy oh boy, was she gonna be in for it when her mom got home..._

Cloud walked in. "What's so funny?" That only served to intensify the hilarity for Lindsey and she laughed all the harder.

The phone began to ring. "I..I got it," Lindsey said. She walked down the hall, still chuckling to herself.

It was silent for a few moments. "No, really, what was funny?" Cloud asked again. Kadaj chuckled while I just shook my head.

There was a clatter from the kitchen. Thinking it was yet another intruder, we all rushed into the kitchen to see what was happening.

We found Lindsey standing there stock still, the phone she'd been using on the floor, while her eyes wide with some unseen terror. "L-Lindsey?" I began. _What the hell's going on now?!_

Lindsey slowly turned her head to look at us. And even though her eyes were trained on us, her gaze was far away, focused on some distant event. "My-my parents..."

"What about them?," I asked urgently.

"They're almost home!"

My eyes widened. "Oh. Shit."

Cloud looked confused for a second. "Why does that matter?"

"Because if they catch you or Kadaj here for that matter THEY WILL KILL ME, RAISE ME FROM THE DEAD, TORTURE ME WITH FAMILY REUNIONS, AND THEN KILL ME AGAIN!" Lindsey yelled dramatically.

I nodded vehemently, trying my best not to laugh at her over-dramatic outburst.. "Oh," said Cloud.

"Now think, think. Where is a place where we can hide them so that our parents won't know, and so that we have easy access to give them food and needed supplies?" Lindsey said tapping her chin. I crossed my arms and thought for a moment.

"I've got it!" I exclaimed. "The tree house in the woods behind my house! My mom doesn't know about it since Dad built it, and it's not like they talk to each other since the divorce."

"Perfect!," she exclaimed. "Now....GET THEM OUT!!!!" I looked at her like she was nuts.

"How? I don't have my car here!!!"

"Take mine. I don't care. Just get out!" Lindsey said, practically shoving them out of the door and then throwing the keys after them. I barely managed to catch them; she threw them so hard and fast that my hand literally stung from where the keys had impacted. _Damn her and having a pitcher's arm..._

"Until we next meet, love," said Kadaj playfully, but it was too late. Lindsey had already slammed the door shut. I had to turn around to keep from laughing in his face, and Cloud looked as amused as I did.

As we sped away and off Lindsey's street, I saw Lindsey's parents' black SUV turning down the same road in the rear-view mirror. I sighed in relief. We had just missed them.

Speeding down the highway, (though I know I shouldn't have been;don't speed, people!), I looked in the rear view mirror to see Kadaj looking glumly out of the backseat window.

"What's wrong, Kadaj?"

"My only entertainment for the evening is gone..."

"Who...?, " I wondered aloud. Then it occurred to me. "Oh, you mean Lindsey?"

Kadaj nodded.

"I think we have a love struck puppy with us," Cloud said, trying his hardest not to laugh. Trust me, I could tell;I had the same expression on my face, I was sure.

"I so am not!," Kadaj retorted. I took one glance at Cloud, and it was too much;we both burst out laughing.

Kadaj just looked back and forth between us, looking slightly embarrassed (did I mention that his face was red?). He came back quick from that, I'll admit it, because then he retorted, "....well if I am, I'm not the only one."

Cloud and I both shut up abruptly, my thoughts immediately jumping to the conclusion that he was referring to us, more specifically, me. My face felt hot, and I didn't want to look in the mirror to see if my face was red. I stole a quick glance at Cloud, and I couldn't believe my eyes. _He...--woah, _I thought.

His face was just as red as mine.

Shaking my head and snapping from my thoughts, I cleared my throat. "Anyways...." I said cheerfully, and she changed the subject.

_Dude, this is the weirdest car ride I've ever taken..._

_

* * *

_Please leave a review!!! :)


	9. Chapter 9:APOLOGIES:EDIT (MUST READ)

Hey my readers (not sure if I still have any after my close-to-two-year-hiatus, but whatever lol). I know, I've been terrible and have not uploaded ANYTHING in close to two years.

I know a lot of you guys are probably pissed as shit at me, and I don't blame you.

I do have good news, however...

I WILL FINALLY GET BACK TO WORK ON MY FANFICS!

Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but I FIIIINALLY have a working laptop again. The old one gave me a blue screen of death and I have been unable to write fanfics on a computer for TWO YEARS. I've been handwriting everything! It's killer on my hands T.T

But since I have a new laptop (BRAND new, thank you very much;take my advice and NEVER buy a refurbished laptop...), this means that I will finally get to write again! And post chappies for you guys to read! (Whoever's still wanting to read em, anyway. lol)

I will be updating ALL my stories soon!

Oh, and also...I will be changing my penname to Catalyna Christopher after uploading this (so to any of my previous readers who might be confused:

My old name:Catalyna Cullen

My new name:Catalyna Christopher

Just so you guys don't get confused. I love you guys and I promise I will be posting ACTUAL chapters within the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned!

-Catalyna Cullen (soon to be Christopher)

EDIT:

Alright guys, I REALLY hate to do this but I am going to have to put this story on hiatus.

Now before you guys grab your pitchforks and torches, I will say that this hiatus is not, I repeat, NOT permanent.

The main reason for it is because when my computer died I lost ALL the chapters I had written for this story! T.T I looked thru the files I was able to salvage and THEY WEREN'T THERE! DX So I am forced to rewrite the new chapters…but I will go back to this story as soon as I can.

But for now, I'm going to post the sequel to Unarmed, which fortunately survived the purge on my computer! Hope you guys like it!

…Okay, I'm going to go hide in my fallout shelter now. *runs*

-Catalyna Christopher


End file.
